Feed-controlling mechanism for circular-knitting machines



N0v.s,1927. 1,648,083

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FEED GONTOLLING MECH-msu En cI'cULAE Kulm-INE MACHINES y Filed April 18. 1922 :s sheets-shewu s v w V//////////////////' am @gf MEQ@ Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES CHARLES WALTN OLIVER H. WALTON, OF NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MASSACHU- liaiaoznv PATE orrlcn.

SET'I'S; SAID CHARLES WALTON ASSIGNOR TO SAID OLIVER H. WALTON.

rnED-coNTRoLLING MECHANISM non CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 554,969.

his invention relates to circular machines for knltting seamless elastic stockings such as `are used by persons having varicose veins and for other supporting purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a circular knitting machine which will knit a stocking leg in the usual well-known manner, and at the same time automatically knit therein a woof consisting of an elastic strand, preferably rubber, covered with thread. This elastic strand is a continuous piece which extends around the stocking leg and is enclosed in the yarn loops of the knitted fabric. ln the operation of the machine the stocking is shaped of larger diameter in some, portions than in others to it the leg of the wearer by a mechanism which controls the feed of the elastic strand to the fabric so 0 that in some portions, namely, the narrow portions, the tension on theelastic strand is greater than in others, and in the portions of the stocking where the elastic strand is under greater tension, the diameter of the stocking will be less on account of the elastic strand drawing the knitted loops closer together. A

The invention consists,- therefore, in. a circular knitting machine which is provided with mechanism to feed Aa continuous elastic strand into the knitted fabric and furthermore, the invention consists in the means for so controlling the feed of the elastic strand that the stocking will bel automatically shaped to any desired pattern or form, all as hereinafter set forth in the specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of our improved knitting machine.

Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the same as viewed from the left of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 3-3, Figure 1.

Fig. l is a sectional plan somewhat diagrammatic in character taken on line 4 4, rig. a Y

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of a portion of the needle cylinder and strand guide.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken on line @-6, Fig. 3, and illustrating the pattern chain.

Fig. 7 is a detail plan of the mechanism for rotating the pattern wheel with a cam,

driving shaft 11, said shaft being driven by a pulley 12 which drives a pulley 13 connected by a belt 14 to the take-up mechanism not shown in the drawings, but of usual con struction. A primary needle cylinder 15 is fastened to the frame and is provided in the usual manner with vertical sliding needles 1G which are actuated by cams 17.

yThe cams 17 are fastened to a cam cylinder 17 which is fastened to a running ring 18Vwhich is rotatably mounted upon the frame in an annular bearing 19 and is provided with bevel gear teeth 2O which mesh into a bevel gear 21 fast to the shaft 11, and by this means the ruiming ring 18 is rotated about the needle cylinder with which itis concentric, and the cams 17 impart a vertical movement to the needles 16 in the usual well-known manner.

In this embodiment of our invention we utilize, in combination with the stationary needle cylinder, a needle dial 22 upon which are slidably mounted needles 23, said needles being moved slightly toward and away from the axial center of the dial 22 by a cam 24 ywhich is fastened to a vertical shaft. 25. The shaft. 25 is rotated by a revolving frame 26 which is fastened by standards 27 to the cam cylinder 17. The dial 22 is supported upon` the shaft 25 and also upon a collar 28 which is fastened to said shaft. The dial is prevented from rotating by wings 29 fastened thereto and engaging ears 80 on the stationary needle cylinder 15. A thread guide 31 is fastened to the cam 24 and guides the thread 32 from the bobbins not shown in the drawings, but supported in the usual manner, above the machine to the needles 16 of t-he primary cylinder.

All of the mechanism thus far described is old and well known in the art and is of the usual construction of latch needle cylinder and dial cylinder knitting machines.

The novel mechanism of our invention, whereby the elastic strand is fed to the needles and knitted into the fabric, will now be described. An elastic strand 33 which is of any usual and suitable construction, but preferably consists of a rubber core surrounded by a covering of thread, see Figs. 1 and 2, is fed from a bobbin 35 supported on arms 26 fast to the rotary frame 26 and rotating therewith, and said elastic strand is fed from the bobbin through a guide 37 which is fastened to an interiorly screwtlireaded traveller 38 which has screwthreaded engagement with a vertical screw 39 rotatably mounted at its opposite ends in plates 40 and 41 which are fastenedto an auxiliary frame 36. The traveller 38 is pre- .vented from rotating ulon the screw 39 by a U-shaped guide mem er 42, one end of Y which is fastened to said traveller and the central portion of which forms a sliding contact with a standard 43 which, together with a standard 44 and upper and lower plates 45 and 46, constitute the auxiliary frame 36. A n intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the screw 39 in opposite directions by a star wheel 47 which is fast to the lower end of said shaft'and provided with teeth 48, see Fig. 4. The running ring 18 and the frame 26, together with the auxiliary frame 36, rotate in a counterclockwise direction and the star wheel 47 is rotated in a clockwise direction by the teeth 48 engaging a contact rod 49, and in a counterclockwise direction by another contact rod 50. This result is accomplished by raising the contact rod 49 into the path of the star wheel, or by lowering said contact rod out of the path of the star wheel and raising the contact 50 into the path of said wheel, and both of said contacts may be lowered out of the path of the star wheel when it is desired that the star wheel should remain stationary and therefore the screw 39 remain stationary. The contact rods 49 and 50 are positioned as hereinbefore set forth by means of a lever 51 pivoted at 52 to a bracket 53 fast to a plate 54 whichin turn is rigidly fastened to the frame of the machine, see Fig. 3. The lever 51 is tipped at intervals upon its pivot 52 by a attern chain 55 against which the outer en of the lever is held by a spring 52. The pattern chain is provided with links of different heights. When the links 56 engage the lever 51 it is lifted at the extreme outer end thereof and this raises the contact rod 49 into the path of the star wheel 47, so that when the star wheel strikes it, it will rotate the same in a clockwise direction. At the same time the contact rod 50 is lowered out of the path of the star wheel 47. In the position shown in Fig. 3 the lever has its outer end contacting with a link 57 which is the lowest link of the pattern chain and under these conditions the rod 50 is raised into the path of the star wheel and the rod 49 is dropped downwardly out of the path of said wheel. When the lever 51 engages the links 58 it is positioned by them in an intermediate position and the rods 49 and 50 are then both positioned out of the path of the star wheel 47. Thus it will be seen that the traveller 38 and thc elastic strand guide 37 fast thereto may be raised intermittently or lowered intermittently or remain in a stationary position, as

may be desired, by the operation of the star wheel, the contact rods 49 and 50 and the pattern chain hereinbefore described.

The elastic strand 33 passes from the strand guide 37 between the two vertical conical feed rolls 59 and 60 and from thence through another elastic strand guide 61 to the needles of the primary cylinder. The elastic strand guide 61 is fastened to the cam 24 and rotates therewith. The feed rolls 59 and 60 are substantially duplicates of each other and are rotatably mounted in the auxiliary frame 36. A rotary motion is imparted to the conical feed rolls by bevel gears 62 and 63 which are fastened to the feed rolls 59 and 60 res ectively and mesh into each other. The s aft 64 extends downwardly from the lower end of the feed roll 59 and is rotatably mounted in the auxiliary frame 36. At the lower end of lthe shaft 64 is fastened a gear 65 which meshes into another gear 66 rotatably mounted upon the cam cylinder 17 and meshing into the primary needles 16 whereby when the machine is in operation the ear 66 is rotated by the needles as it revo ves around the needle cylinder and this impart-s a rotary motion to the gear 65 and to the gears 62 and 63. The standard 43 is provided with graduations 6T and constitutes a scale indicating the diameter of the tube which is being knitted when the upper edge of the U-shaped member 42 is in alignment therewith, for the diameter of the tube will vary according to the position of the upper edge of the U-shaped member 42, which when varied in position, varies in like manner the position of the strand 33. The U-shaped member performs, therefore, not only the function of a guide to prevent the traveller 38 from rotating, but also performs the function of an indicator arm, so that the operator of the machine can tell just what diameter of tube he is knitting on the machine and before threading up the machine the traveler 38 can be raised or lowered to bring the upper edge of the member 42 in alignment with any desired index line upon the indicator rod 43. The pattern chain 55 is mounted upon a pattern wheel 68 which has an intermittent rotary motion imparted thereto by a pawl 69 and ratchets 70 and 71 in a manner well known to those skilled in this art. The pattern wheel 68 and the ratchets 70 and 71 are rotatably mounted upon a stationary shaft 72 mounted upon the frame 10. 

